From The Eyes of a Missionary's Mother

Planning for the day when your children move out seems like a long ways away when they are little. I've have recently discovered that their days at home go a little too quickly, and no matter how much you think you are prepared, emotions have a way of escaping through a mother's eyes at a moment's notice Focusing on the tasks of shopping, gathering, organizing, purging, sorting, and packing can sometime be helpful to keep these run-away emotions at bay, but eventually there is no holding them back.

Each member of our family makes a huge contribution in our home. We all have different personalities, strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and dreams. These differences can sometime cause contention or hurt feelings if we aren't careful, but they have more often caused laughter and long lasting memories. 

• Erica provides us comedic relief as she shares her gift to look on the bright side of things. She is happy, bubbly, and sees the good things in life. Her laugh is incredibly contagious.
• Kailey is determined and expressive. Often times when she has a story to tell, we have to "cut" to the point because she wants to give us all the details. When she gets an idea it's as good as done. (I'm grateful for this gift now, and hope her letters are really long!)
• Caden is motivated by fun! He'll do just about anything, including pulling weeds, to have play time. He is a giggler and can speak in funny accents. Once he gets laughing he sometimes can't stop, which gets us all laughing at him. He's a people pleaser.
• Parker likes projects and is always willing to help me staple, stuff, cut, hammer, build, paint, etc. He likes to create and is often at the computer writing stories, building worlds, or creating illustrated power points. He's even willing to cook his own Top Ramen noodles when dinner isn't coming fast enough.

So, in our current situation with Kailey's absence, I realize how big of an impact she made while she was here. First, I'm now outnumbered boys-to-girls. It used to be even when we started, but now my girls are gone and the boys just don't care if my shoes match my dress, or if my jacket is outdated. I could always count on Kailey to tell me if it was safe to walk out the door.

Second, girls talk more than boys, generally speaking. I've now given my boys a 1,000-word quota when they get home and I ask them how their day is. "Fine" is not good enough. I've been trained by Erica and Kailey who have mastered the art of conversation. I am hopeful that this is possible. 

Third, love of music is something that Kailey and I share. We have similar tastes in artists and in genres. Who will listen to the sappy, country love songs with me as we "feel" the lyrics? Kailey won't be listening to anything but hymns by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Maybe I'll create a This-is-what-you-missed playlist for her as a Welcome Home gift. 

Fourth, late night recaps became the "norm". This is when the every-little-detail came into play. Often times the recap didn't start until 9:30 or 10:00 and then  it was 11:00 by the time I got to sleep. I never complained and always enjoyed dreaming with Kailey as she planned her future wedding and designed her future house. Life is a fairy tale, and don't tell her any different.

Okay, so back to the emotions spilling out all over the place...   In conversations with ANYONE about where Kailey is living or what she is doing, the tears just leak out. They don't come because I'm sad, although I do miss her, they come because I'm happy for her. What an incredible experience for her to live on the east coast with different people and a different way of life with a purpose to teach about Jesus Christ. Truth be told....I'm jealous. I wish I could be a mouse in her pocket, or maybe even one of her companions. How cool would that be to have your "mom" as your companion??  I know, bad idea, but I can live vicariously through her, which is what I plan to do for the next 18 months!

Until then, I will train my boys to speak, and to love country music and I will enjoy the impact they have on my life because it won't be too long until they decide to leave also. And then, after that happens, Thad and I can catch up on all the days we missed together while we were dividing and conquering!